Heinowski, a registered forester, has owned the tree farm at 3620 Lake Wilson Road in Hillsdale since 1969. He and his wife Marty, raised five children, four of whom attended Michigan State University to study land management — just as their father did.

“Selling the trees started as a way of putting the kids through college,” Heinowski said.

Years later, he finds himself caring for 15 acres of various tree varieties on his 35-acre farm. During the holiday season, Heinowski said he sells between 3,000 and 4,000 trees, including various spruce and fir trees.

The farm joins a growing list of Michigan producers who voluntarily open their doors, inviting the MAEAP program to review and inspect their farm facilities, equipment, farming practices, management plans and written records.

Though Heinowski serves on the local Conservation District Board, technical assistance was provided by MAEAP Technician Shelby Bollwahn of the Conservation District.

“It’s interesting to note the variety of MAEAP farms we have in the county,” Bollwahn said. “Christmas tree growers are benefiting by showing how they are good stewards of the environment.”

Bollwahn said most of the requirements were already being met by Heinowski, who was able to get verified in the farmstead and cropping systems.

“Farmstead focuses on pesticide storage, where the well is located and the condition of the well,” Bollwahn said.

A crack was found in the lid of Heinowski’s well and was repaired.

Bollwahn explained that before MAEAP was established, a ground water program at the time protected ground water resources, keeping contaminants out of the water where mixing and loading these chemicals took place.

The second verification in cropping looked at pesticide application and fertilizer use.

Heinowski said this involved looking at what pests are present.

“The kinds of pests present in the 1960s and 1970s are still the same ones present today,” Heinowski said. “We hear so much about the Emerald Ash Borer, but it was in existence back then, too.”

Erosion is something he doesn’t have to worry about and irrigation is something he doesn’t do. His philosophy is to let nature take its course.

Though he lost half his crop last year because of the drought, he said the lot will be ready for planting in the spring. Mowing paths between trees is done twice a year and spraying for weeds is sometimes necessary.

Though the farm can be labor intensive at certain times of the year, Heinowski said he’s enlisted the help of young people from junior high up to college to help with trimming and other aspects.

“When kids apply for jobs after college, employers recognize that they worked on a farm,” he said. “Whether it’s 20 degrees out or 90 degrees, the job still needs to be done and excuses don’t count too much.”

Bollwahn said the voluntary MAEAP program is designed to reduce farmers’ legal and environmental risks through a three-phase process including education, farm-specific risk assessment and on-farm verification that ensures the farmer has implemented environmentally sound practices.

“Another huge aspect is individual stewardship — knowing when to use pesticides as a last resort, since there are a handful of beneficial insects,” Bollwahn said. “Bud knows how to let nature take its course.”